Total Nerd 10 Gender Swapped Comic Book Characters

Marvel blew up the whole Internet when they announced that the next iteration of Thor will be a woman. Though this news is definitely shocking to fans (who is Marvel to mess with Norse mythology?), it's not at all the first time comic book publishers have turned classic characters' chromosomes upside down. In honor of the new Thor, who may be of the "gentler sex," but will hopefully not compromise any badass toughness, here are ten other times characters got gender swapped in comics.

From sex changes, to clones, to entirely new characters, this is just a small sample of the most popular heroes who have gotten sex changes at some point. Is gender swapping an effective tool for story telling and character development? Perhaps not, but it's always fun to see our favorite characters face new challenges when placed in the other sex's shoes. Take a look at these 10 classic heroes and their crazy gender transformations!

Every Character in Riverdale

Photo: via Imgur In Archie #636 "The Great Switcheroo," Archie and his pals take a look at life from the opposite gender's eyes (don't worry, everyone is still super cute). After the gang's incessant arguing that the other sex has it better, guest star teen-witch Sabrina's magical, mischievous cat, Salem, decides to let them decide for themselves – by turning them into opposite sex!

A Superwoman character has not only been a recurring theme in the Superman tropes, but has played both good and evil roles. First, Lois Lane temporarily gained Superman's powers and had a costume to match him. Then, Luma Lynai of the planet Staryl came to the scene, deriving her Superman powers from an orange sun (as opposed to Superman's yellow). The Crime Syndicate of America was then created, and several ladies went by the moniker of Superwoman, decided to be total jerks, and tried to take down heroes of the DCU.

This may be one of the most lax versions of a female take on a male superhero, but it's also one of the most varied! see more on Superwoman

Photo: Metaweb (FB)/Fair use Perhaps the most famous gender crossover in recent comics, Batwoman is the inspired female incarnation of the Dark Knight. The identity of Batwoman is Katherine Kane, introduced in the Silver Age during Detective Comics #233 and reintroduced in 2006 as Kate Kane. Also, with her reintroduction of the character came a few progressive changes – Batwoman is now a lesbian.

X-23, aka Laura Kinney, is a badass female clone of Wolverine who, after being bred to be the ultimate killing machine, sought to turn her life around with the X-Men. Created for the "X-Men: Evolution" animated series (her first appearance is episode #41, aptly titled "X-23"), she made the jump to comics in 2004, during NYX. In the 2014 "Death of Wolverine" run, Wolverine - you guessed it - dies, leaving X-23 as the only adamantium-enhanced mutant in town.